Welcome to Eat Your Books!

If you are new here, you may want to learn a little more about how this site works. Eat Your Books has indexed recipes from leading cookbooks and magazines as well recipes from the best food websites and blogs.

Become a member and you can create your own personal ‘Bookshelf’. Imagine having a single searchable index of all your recipes – both digital and print!

p. 71
I was looking for a quick and easy recipe to use up some fresh ricotta. This recipe hit the mark since it called for ingredients we had on hand. Green onions, dill, and chives are chopped then stirred into the ricotta along w some salt and pepper. Since we didn’t rub our bruschetta w garlic, I added some chopped garlic to the cheese mixture as well. This cheese spread was fresh tasting and flavourful, so delicious w the grilled bread. Though we enjoyed this during the depths of winter, I can only imagine how sensational it would be during the summer months when I can pick the ingredients from my garden. This is a keeper, just a lovely recipe.

Pg 73 This was a great little dish. I had to put together a quick little starter and this came together very quickly and very easily. I hadn't read the review by breadcrumbs but I too was worried there was no garlic in the dish so I rubbed the bruschetta with a cut clove, which was just perfect. The finished dish has a simple and very fresh flavour that is rich but pefectly offset by the acid in the vinaigrette.

p. 98
Oh my goodness was this good! Somewhat of an unlikely pairing ultimately results in a unique dish packed with flavour. We served this with a crisp Chardonnay and it all went down beautifully! The radishes on top add brightness to the sandwich and a nice crunch. This dish has great visual appeal as well. We’ll definitely add this to our regular rotation. Perfect summer lunch on the deck food! Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/707996#7235120

This would be a good summer dish, not so good for winter. I think there's too much mustard in the dressing, it's quite sharp (and I like Dijon mustard). I would reduce the mustard by half. Also, one minute for cooking the green beans is a little too short -- I like my green beans crunchy, but these were a little too crunchy. I would double the cook time.

Pg. 120. Loved this. Very easy, very little prep involved. I had boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I've never seen boneless breasts with skin on). I cooked it at 350 rather than 400 for 40 minutes. I think that was a little too long. Would go with 30 minutes in the future. The sauce is really nice and I used it to dress some steamed broccoli and sauteed greens as well. I'll definitely be making this again!

Pg. 122. This is delicious! It's very moist and flavorful. The onion/lemon mixture adds a nice flavor accent. The cook time of 1.25 hours was exactly right for my 4.5 lb chicken. I did not make the gravy -- it's probably even better with that.

Pg 122
This is one of the simplest yet most flavourful roast chicken I have ever made. As per usual Ina's instructions are spot on and the recipe yields just what one would expect, a moist bird with a delicious sauce. The amount of onions seemed a bit much when I was putting it together but I was very glad that I followed her suggestion as the sauce is made lusciously savoury by the large amount of onions. My only suggested change woudl be to take a few tablespoons of the pan liquid and blend it with the flour before adding the flour to the pan, as when I did it the sauce did lump a little bit, so I had to whisk it out.

Spencer really liked the sauce on these. Be careful to not burn the skin on the chicken breast or to overcook. I went with 12 minutes in the oven but I should have put the burner down to medium low as the skin was a little charred. The flavour of the sauce has a nice buttery and acidic flavour the compliments the chicken. Very quick to put together.

Pg. 127. I was a little concerned that this would turn out really dry since the turkey breast isn't brined. However, I trust Ina's recipes a great deal -- she's never let me down. And she didn't this time either -- the meat was really juicy and tender. And this could not be simpler. The only issue I ran into was that the meat was not browning very much even near the end of the cooking time she suggested. I turned the oven up to 350 and cooked it a bit longer than the recipe called for. It came out perfectly done, perfectly brown and with the exact internal temperature it was supposed to be. Next time I might add more liquid (maybe half wine, half water) because the liquid dried out well before the end of the cooking time. However, the residue in the bottom of the roasting pan came off easily with a little elbow grease.

This turned out real well. I was a little leery of the mustard powder in the herb mixture, and worried that it overpower the herb, but in the end I could hardly taste the mustard. I roasted a 9-pound hotel-style breast and it took 2 1/2 hours, the recipe called for a 6 1/2 to 7-lb breast. The best part of the recipe was not having to make gravy, Ina told you to serve the turkey with the pan juice. Unlike the previous reviewer, Laura, I had quite a bit of fat and juice left in the pan even after the prolonged cooking time. The amount of pan juice I got from the fat separator was more than double the 3/4 cup of wine I started with.

p. 134 - Nov 2010 - First use of this recipe and roast was absolutely delicious. The sauce made from the roasted veggies and drippings is to die for. I served mine over rice and K had his w mashed. This exceeded my expectations and I'd absolutely do it again. Easy and excellent. 9

Very easy and delicious recipe for a leg of lamb. I sub agave nectar for the honey. I halved the amount of salt used in the spread and only used 1/4 cup of agave nectar, most of which got mixed in with the tomatoes and the rest drizzle on top of the lamb. Since the amount of agave drizzled on top of the Dijon mixture was reduced, I did not get the caramelization shown in the picture, but that's okay with me, the lamb tasted just fine. Next time I'll also cut down the olive oil for the tomatoes.

Pg. 146 This one is definitely a repeat. The dish comes together very quickly with a minimum of fuss and the flavours are outstanding. The combination of beef, peppery arugula with tart dressing and savoury parmesan is excellent, especially when you get all the components on one fork. I did diverge from the recipe in that I added a bit more oil to the dressing as it was a bit too acidic as written. Also, I cooked the steak in a cast iron pan on the stove top for a minute per side and then into the oven for about 2 minutes per side. With a thick steak (1.5 inches) this resulted in pretty rare steak but it was good for S.

I did play with the proportions a little but I ended up with a relatively dry and under seasoned dish. The sauce was actually quite good with some nice salt from the feta and the salt I added and a little tang from the pernod and the wine but since it was relatively dry and the shrimp themselves a were underseasoned resulting and a so so dish with ok sauce and shrimp that were fully upstaged by what little sauce there was.

Pg. 154. For health reasons, we rarely eat beef or pasta. I had originally bought the ground beef thinking that I'd grill hamburgers as a very rare treat. But the weather didn't permit grilling outside and so I turned to EYB and found this recipe. I was initially skeptical that it would be good given the very short cook time. Well, it was delicious! And I expect that the leftovers will be even better tomorrow.

Very nice quick sauce. I used home grown tomatoes instead of the canned ones called for in the recipe. The sauce is well spiced, the little bit of nutmeg added je ne sais quoi, the cream and the last 1/4 cup of wine put in at the end added richness and round out the flavor.

Dead simple easy and comes together with pantry staples. I made it with fresh spaghetti that I had made, so it really absorbed the sauce, but I am sure it would still be good with dry pasta. Definitely a weeknight winner!

Pg. 158. A sale at my WF on Rao's Marinara Sauce (half price!) led me to make this recipe. Sadly, it was one of the few disappointments I've experienced with Ina's recipes. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't great either. I followed the directions to the letter and it took a very long time to prepare. My meatballs were not nearly as browned as the photo in the recipe. The meatballs were fine, but just didn't have much personality and were not spicy. I don't think I'll make this again.

I wouldn't necessarily consider this a proper risotto, but she says this as well. In the end the flavours were a good if a little simple. Could do with a bit of zing, maybe add some crisped prosciutto or some other vegetables/roasted mushrooms

Pg. 173. Wow! I'm not normally a fan of cauliflower, but it seemed to be a good addition to the main course I was serving, so found this recipe. This is fantastic and that's without the pine nuts, which I'm sure would make it even better. One change I would make is to roast for less time or to roast at a lower temperature, or add the garlic at the midway point. Many of the garlic halves burned beyond use. I'll be making this again and again.

I made this recipe with portobello mushrooms and served it as a main course. Delicious! The stuffing was enough for 6 large mushrooms. I did cut the salt in half and substitute cream cheese for the mascarpone. Instead of marinating the mushrooms in Marsala, I sprinkled each mushroom with a tablespoon of the wine before filling.

The flavour on this is quite nice, but the colour is more like speckled mash than the green puree she has in her picture. You used teh wand mixer to blend the basil, maybe a food processor would help achieve the colour.

Definitely easy. The longest part was going through the cranberries to remove the squishy ones. I preferred it at room temperature to warm, warm it's more of a pudding than a cake. The cranberries were quite tart so add more sugar if you don't like tart fruit.

p. 205 - Truly scrumptious!
We loved this. mr bc called it a pie cake. Indeed it looks like a pie but tastes like a cake…an upside down cake perhaps. We especially loved the crispy cinnamon/sugar topped crust. The sugar had caramelized so that the very top of the cake crust shattered like glass as you cut through it with your fork. The aromas wafting from the oven as this bakes are intoxicating and reminiscent of all things Christmas…orange, cranberries, and cinnamon. This was a big hit at cucina bc and I think my cranberries may have mellowed from the freezing process as we found the balance of tart and sweet to be ideal for our tastes. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/737723#8820350

This is an easy and impressive dessert. I make mine kid friendly by substituting 1/4 c. decaf expresso in place of the liquor and I also use store bought gluten free Tate's chocolate chip cookies, sold at TJs.

Page 214. Really enjoyed this and it could not have been simpler. Served it over vanilla ice cream, but it was also wonderful on its own. I had never used the type of oatmeal it called for (McCann's quick-cooking). My only problem with the recipe was that the topping was a bit 'al dente', almost as if the oatmeal had not cooked thoroughly. Next time, I might use rolled oats, just to see how that turns out.

Publishers Text

In Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That? Ina proves once again that it doesn’t take complicated techniques, special equipment, or stops at more than one grocery store to make wonderful dishes for your family and friends. Her newest must-have cookbook is all about saving time and avoiding stress while having fun in the kitchen.
These are not recipes with three ingredients thrown together in five minutes; instead home cooks will find fantastic Barefoot Contessa recipes that are easy to make but still have all that deep, delicious flavor Ina is known for—and that makes a meal so satisfying. Think Pink Grapefruit Margaritas served with Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs—two classics with a twist. For lunch, Ina makes everyone’s favorite Ultimate Grilled Cheese sandwich and Snap Peas with Pancetta. For dinner, try Jeffrey’s Roast Chicken (tried and true!); Steakhouse Steaks, which come out perfectly every time and—with Ina’s easy tip—couldn’t be simpler; or an Easy Parmesan “Risotto” that you throw in the oven instead of stirring endlessly on the stovetop. Finally, Ina’s desserts never disappoint—from Red Velvet Cupcakes to Chocolate Pudding Cream Tart.
To top it all off, Ina also shares her best tips for making cooking really easy. She leaves bowls of lemons and limes on the counter not only because they look great but because they also remind her that a squeeze of lemon in a dish brightens the flavors. She shows us the equipment that makes a difference to her—like sharp knives, the right zester, an extra bowl for her electric mixer—and that can help you in your kitchen, too.
Filled with 225 gorgeous full-color photographs, Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That? is the perfect kitchen companion for busy home cooks who still want fabulous flavor.